Free Medical Alert scam aimed at Medicare recipients

Important press release from Texas SMP and The Better Business Bureau Education Foundation:

Seniors all over Texas are receiving phone calls from individuals who want to make an appointment to come to your home and deliver a new Medical Alert that is all paid for by

Medicare. But the truth is, Medicare does not pay for medical alert systems and this item is not free! This is merely a trick for you to give out personal information over the phone to strangers.

Once these scammers get your Medicare number, which is also your Social Security number, they will bill Medicare for items and services you never receive. Protect yourself from potential identity theft and protect the Medicare system from crooks stealing taxpayer dollars by hanging up! You should never give out your Medicare number to anyone who calls on the telephone. No one from Medicare or Social Security will ever call you on the phone to verify personal information such as a bank account or your Social Security Number. And never give out your Medicare number in exchange for free items. If you are get a phone call or an offer for "free" items or services paid for by Medicare, get the name and number of the company then hang up. Then call the Texas Senior Medicare Patrol and report the information. Protect, detect and report Medicare fraud to 1-888-341-6187.

While we harbor no disrespect for the Wall Street Journal who called us “that scrappy little paper from Southeast Texas,” we prefer to think of ourselves as simple seekers of the truth. We’re of the opinion that headlines and sound bites never tell the whole story. Our readers demand all the facts, facets and flavors of every story or event. And, they expect to be informed, educated and stirred to action.